TESSting stellar astrophysics

TASC3 KASC10 Workshop

Birmingham, 16-21 July 2017

Rationale

Aims of the meeting

TASC3/KASC10 will highlight recent results from asteroseismology – in particular from Kepler and K2 – and how those results are challenging theory in the domains of stellar evolution, exoplanet and Galactic research; and will also provide a critical opportunity to focus on preparations for the upcoming launch of the NASA TESS Mission so as to maximize its asteroseismic potential. One of the legacies of the meeting will be a significant role in shaping the science programme of the TESS Asteroseismic Science Consortium (TASC). Additionally, we hope to inform final decisions on the target selection to optimize the opportunities to fully leverage the science potential of asteroseismic studies with TESS.

The workshop will be structured around a set of major science questions or themes, which also cut across the activities of the different working groups in TASC. During a session late in the workshop programme we will discuss and reflect on how activities in TASC can address the challenges posed by the major questions and themes discussed at length during the course of the week.

Key Dates

The key dates and deadlines for the TASC3/KASC10 conference are as follows:

February 13: Registration opensMay 3: Deadline for submitting abstracts for talks NOW CLOSEDMay 12: Early registration and University accommodation deadlines NOW CLOSEDJune 2: Deadline for submitting abstracts for posters NOW CLOSEDJune 16: Deadline for registration NOW CLOSEDJuly 16: Conference opens with Ice Breaker

Talk/Poster Info

Talks

How do I transfer my talk to the venue's computer?

You can copy it to the computer using a USB drive or you can
upload it
to this
Dropbox File Request prior to your session.
You will be prompted for your name and email address when you upload the talk. This dropbox will be visible
only to the LOC.

What presentation formats can I use on the venue's computer?

PDF or anything that PowerPoint can load (e.g. .ppt and .odp).

Can I use my own laptop to present?

We recommend that you use the desktop computer in the lecture
theatre. We plan to stream the meeting, as per previous
TASC/KASC meetings. You can use your own computer but we will
not be able to stream your slides. If you must use your own
computer, you can connect it via HDMI or VGA and there are power
outlets available for presenters on the lectern.
You should also check in advance that your talk displays OK on the projector etc.

I don't want my talk to be streamed. What should I do?

Just inform a member of the LOC as soon as possible
and we will disable the streaming service during your
talk.

Will there be a microphone for speakers?

Yes. Speakers will have a lapel microphone and there will be
two roaming microphones for questions.

Posters

What size should my poster be?

A0 portrait.

Can I print my poster at the University of Birmingham to collect when I arrive?

Yes. You can order an A0 paper/fabric poster for 20/30 GBP
from the University's Central Print service and collect from
the Print Me
shop in the University Centre on campus 48 hours later
(map). It
is your responsibility to order and collect
the poster! You can pay with cash or card when you collect your
poster.
Please email
Central Print directly to arrange this and
ask Warrick Ball
for the discount code. Note that the print shop is closed over
weekends.

One-minute poster presenters

If you chose to give a one-minute poster talk, we will
contact you directly with more information.

Travel, venue and accommodation

The conference will take place on the main campus of the University of
Birmingham, a few miles south of the centre of Birmingham, the UK's
second city. The University has its own train station, served up to
six times per hour by trains from central Birmingham. The campus is
an easy walk from University accommodation at Chamberlain Hall.
Birmingham International Airport, about 10 km east of the city, is
frequently served by trains to the city centre (Birmingham New St) and
offers flights to major airports in Europe and beyond.

If you are arriving at London, there is a frequent train service from London Euston railway station to New Street Station (journey time around 1 hour 30 minutes). From Heathrow Airport, take the Heathrow Express train to Paddington Station and then the Underground or a taxi to Euston Station. Alternatively, an Airbus runs from Heathrow Airport direct to Euston Station. From Gatwick Airport, take the Airport Express train to Victoria Station and then the Underground or a taxi to Euston Station.

Accommodation

If you have booked University accommodation, all the information you need is included in the sections below.
Note that booking for University accommodation is now closed.
If you still need to book accommodation we have reserved rooms at several hotels in the city centre:

This link will allow you to make a booking with one of the hotels. Note hotels in the city centre close to New Street station (the main station) are also worth checking.

Conference registration and check-in for University accommodation

Where do I register for the conference when I arrive?

If you are attending the Ice Breaker on the Sunday, there
will be a registration desk in the Bramall foyer (see
Getting Around, below) that is open between 17.30 and
20.00. If you have a poster, you will also be able to put
this up on Sunday evening (again, see Getting Around,
below). From Monday to Friday, you can register at the
conference hub (see below).

Where do I check-in to the University accommodation?

The University has provided the following Delegate Information pack for those who are staying at the University accommodation. Please read this carefully before you arrive.

Check-in is available at Chamberlain Hall itself (address: Church Rd Birmingham B15 3AS) between 08.00 and 22.00. If you arrive out of these hours please go to the 24-hour reception located in the nearby Shackleton building. See the Delegate Information pack for more information.

If you are attending the Ice Breaker on Sunday evening,
you can check-in there instead between 17.30 and 20.00.
You will be able to leave your luggage in the cloakroom,
which will be staffed throughout the event.

Getting around

Where on campus are the conference venue and Ice Breaker?

The on-campus venues are all very close to the Clock
Tower, which dominates the centre of campus. If you head
towards the Clock Tower, you can't go wrong!

Talks will be in the main lecture theatre (S02) on the
top floor of the Physics Poynting Building (R13
on campus
maps). The entrance to the building is on the south
side, opposite the Nuffield Building (R9), and will have
signs outside. There will also be a member of the LOC
around on Monday morning. The conference hub will be in
the Physics Museum room (S04), right next to the main
theatre. Posters will be in the Bridge Study Room (between R13 and R15), one floor down, while tea/coffee and lunch will be served both in the Bridge Study Room and in the Physics Coffee lounge (the latter on the same floor as the main theatre).

The Ice Breaker will be held in foyer of the nearby
Bramall Music building (R12).

How do I get to the conference venue from the city centre?

Depending on which is nearest, we recommend taking the
train to the University station (UNI) from either
Birmingham New Street (BHM) or Five Ways (FWY). Trains
will be heading towards Longbridge or Redditch and run
roughly every 10 minutes. From New Street, University is
the second stop (after Five Ways) and the journey takes
about 7 minutes. Some longer distance trains from New
Street (e.g. towards Hereford) also stop at University, in
which case University is the first stop.

A return ticket, valid at any time of day, costs 3 GBP.

The conference venue will be signposted from University
station and a member of the LOC will be at the station on
Sunday evening and Monday morning.

The map below shows the route from the train station to the
Bramall Music Building (R12, for the Ice Breaker) and the
conference venue (R13, Poynting Building).

The walk to campus is straightforward and takes about 20
minutes. The Google Map below shows the route, which runs mostly
along Edgbaston Park Rd. By clicking on the map, you can also
choose the public transport option to see bus routes.

Buses X64 and 98 go towards the University from the
corner of Church Rd and Arthur Rd. Get off at stops School
of Education or University North Gate, from which the
conference rooms are a 5 minute walk.

We have also arranged a daily TASC3 shuttle for those who need a bit
of assistance getting to the conference venue from the University
accommodation. It will run from outside Chamberlain Hall to the campus
where it will stop just outside Barber Institute, building R14, a
minute from the conference venue. Note capacity is limited to around
20 people (we are assuming that most of you will choose to walk). The
shuttle journey takes around 5 min and will run as follows:

University accommodation to campus: pick-up from Chamberlain at 08.15 AND 08.30 on Mon, Tue, Wed, Thu; and 08.45 AND 09.00 on Fri

Campus to University accommodation: pick-up from Barber at 17.45 AND 18.00 on Mon; 18.00 AND 18.15 on Tue; NO service on Wed (excursion); 17.45 AND 18.00 on Thu; and 12.45 AND 13.00 on Fri

Do not board buses at the University
accommodation that have been specifically arranged for the
Institute of Physics conference that's also happening on
campus (see At the Conference). These buses are
exclusively for the delegates of that meeting.

How do I get to the city from the airport?

Getting the train is a straightfoward and most popular
option. A free monorail shuttle connects the airport to
the train station (Birmingham International) from which
trains to Birmingham New Street (the city's main central
station) run about every 15 minutes. You can buy tickets
from the ticket machines at the train station for at most
about 4 GBP one-way. The train journey takes about 10 to
15 minutes.

Trains between the airport from Birmingham New Street
operate roughly from 6 AM until midnight. For detailed
timetables, you can find more information on
the airport's
website.

A taxi to the city centre or the University accommodation
will cost about 40 GBP.

How do I get to the University accommodation from the airport?

We suggest first getting to the city centre (see above) and
then either

hiring a taxi (our recommendation),

taking a train one stop to Five Ways and walking one mile,

taking a train two stops to University and walking just over a mile, or

taking buses X64 or 98 (hop off at Church Rd).

At Birmingham New Street station, there is also a long taxi
rank just outside, in the direction of the Bullring shopping
centre.

Is there transport for the excursions?

Yes. We will communicate the details each day during the
conference.

Where should I eat?

Central Birmingham has more eateries than we can possibly
list here. The city
has been
dubbed the UK's gastro-capital! Near the University accommodation, your options are mainly:

Each theme has a review talk on the first day, to address progress and challenges for that area; and associated session time during the week, including invited and contributed talks. There are also review and invited talks on TESS, TASC, TASC Working Group 0 (which has been tasked with producing analysis-ready TESS lightcurves for TASC), Gaia and PLATO.

On Thursday afternoon we will have a special TASC session, in which the TASC Working Groups will present and discuss the potential that TESS offers for them under each of the four main themes (30 min per group, including time for discussion), and issues relating to target selection and data requirements. We have also scheduled time on Thursday morning (1.5 hours) to have parallel Working Group sessions.

On Friday morning there will also be an open plenary discussion session, in which we will reflect on the opportunities and challenges raised during the week (in particular TASC target selection).

Confirmed invited speakers

Suzanne Aigrain (Oxford)

Evelyne Alecian (Grenoble)

Kevin Belkacem (Meudon)

Luca Casagrande (ANU)

Joris De Ridder (Leuven)

Courtney Dressing (Caltech)

Patrick Eggenberger (Geneva)

Yvonne Elsworth (Birmingham)

Gerry Gilmore (Cambridge)

JJ Hermes (North Carolina)

Dan Huber (Hawaii)

Hans Kjeldsen (Aaarhus)

Mikkel Lund & Rasmus Handberg (Aaarhus)

Emese Plachy (Konkoly)

Andrej Prsa (Villanova)

George Ricker (MIT)

Maurizio Salaris (Liverpool)

Silvia Toonen (Amsterdam)

Social Events & Public Lecture

Public lecture

On Tuesday 18th July at 19:00 Professor Yvonne Elsworth will be giving the conference public lecture "Good Vibrations – taking the pulse of a star", which is sponsored by the Institute of Physics (IoP).

Directions to the Ikon Gallery

The Ikon Gallery is located in the heart of Brindley Place, in the centre of Birmingham. The gallery address is: Ikon Gallery, 1 Oozells Square, Brindleyplace, Birmingham, B1 2HS.

From campus

On foot: Walk to the University Accomodation (Chamberlain Halls of Residence) and then follow the 'on foot' directions below.

By train: Take the train from University Station to Birmingham New Street (7 mins with trains every 10 mins or better) then follow 'on foot' directions below.

By bus: A number of bus services run from the Bristol Road (to the south of campus) to the city centre (e.g., the number 63).

From the University Accomodation

On foot:

By coach: We are providing a coach from Chamberlain Hall to the city centre for delegates staying in University accommodation; will depart Chamberlain at 18.30, dropping at Novotel on Broad St. (close to Ikon). TBC

By bus: A number of bus services run from Edgbaston Park road or Church Road in the 'Five Ways' direction. Leaving the bus at Five Ways will leave a 10 minute walk down to Brindley place.

From New Street station

On foot:

Directions to the Conference Dinner at Edgbaston Cricket Ground

The cricket ground is located to the east of campus, on the way to the city centre. The address of the ground is Edgbaston Stadium, Edgbaston Rd, Birmingham B5 7QU. The main entrance to the cricket ground and our conference dinner is located on the sout-east corner of the ground.

From campus

On foot: A 'walking bus' will depart from the conference venue at 18:30 and will walk to the conference venue. The walk would normally take around 30 minutes.

By bus: Public buses run along the Bristol Road (to the south of campus) regularly and will take you close to the cricket ground. You should leave the bus at the interchange with Priory Road leaving a short .

From the accomodation

On foot:

By coach: A coach will make two runs, from Chamberlain Halls of residence to the Cricket Ground: one run departing at 18.45, second run departing at 19.30; RETURN journeys at the end of night departing at 23.00 and 23.30.

From the city centre

By coach: A coach will make two runs, from Sheepcote St. (near Brindleyplace, see map below) to the Cricket Ground: one run departing at 18.45, second run departing at 19.30; RETURN journeys at end of night, departing at 23.00 and 23.30.

By taxi: Estimated cost for the taxi ride to the cricket ground from the city centre is around £10.

Registration

Registration is still OPEN. Please read the following information carefully before you commit your registration. The link to confirm your registration can be found at the end of the page. During registration, there will be options for accompanying persons, as well as your menu choice and any dietary requirements for the conference dinner. The registration fees and deadlines are listed below:

Early registration (up to 12th May) - £320 NOW CLOSED

Registration (13th May to 16th June) - £360

The registration fee includes tea/coffee breaks and all lunches, as well as all social events (Sunday evening Ice Breaker, Monday evening Mixer, Wednesday afternoon excursion and Thursday evening Conference Dinner).

Accommodation

Contact

Conference Sponsors

We would like to extend our thanks and gratitude to the following organisations for sponsoring the conference and the contributions they have made.

University of Birmingham

Stellar Astrophysics Centre

Institute of Physics

White Dwarf Research Corporation

At the conference

What does the registration fee cover?

The registration fee (£320 GBP for early-bird registrations up to May 12; £360 GBP for registrations up to June 16) includes tea/coffee breaks, lunches, the Conference Dinner, the Ice-Breaker, the Monday evening Astronomy Mixer and the excursion to Warwick Castle.
If you also booked University accommodation (extra, at £42 per night), this covers bed and breakfast.

Where can I get a certificate of attendance and/or an
invoice?

The registration pack will include a certificate of attendance
(to prove attendance) and an invoice (to prove payment).

Who can I ask for help?

Members of the LOC will be recognizable via their bright orange
lanyards and conference t-shirts.

Why are there so many people on campus?

Be aware that there is another conference happening on campus
(the Institute of Physics' International Conference on Women in
Physics) at the same time as TASC3/KASC10. Only follow signs
specifically for TASC3/KASC10!

Where are the breakout rooms?

The Physics Coffee Lounge and Bridge Study room have plenty of
space for informal meetings. We have also booked breakout
rooms:

If you
would like to book a room,
please email
us or speak to a member of the LOC during the
week.

How do I connect to the Wifi?

You can connect either via eduroam or the local guest network.
To connect to eduroam, please look up details at your local
institution. For the local guest network, connect to the
network WiFiGuest on your device and follow the
prompts.

If you are staying in the University accommodation, Wifi access
is the same as on campus.

Where can I recharge my laptop/phone/etc.?

There are some power sockets available in the main lecture theatre.
If you would like to leave your laptop to charge, you can leave it
at the conference hub, which will be staffed for all the sessions.
There are also sockets at the lecture theatre side of the upstairs
lunch/coffee area (Coffee Lounge) and plugs along both walls of
the poster are (Bridge Study Room). No-one will be monitoring
these locations so do not leave anything unattended in
these unstaffed areas.

Is the meeting being streamed?

Yes! We plan to stream the meeting, as per previous TASC/KASC
meetings. Details will be posted before the meeting.

If you are presenting and do not want your
presentation to be streamed, please inform a member of the LOC as
soon as possible.

Where can I print my boarding pass (or anything else) during the meeting?

Ask a member of the LOC or go to the conference hub (in the
museum next to the main lecture theatre).

After SDSS4 (AS4)
18.00 – 19.00 (early evening meeting), S06 (Poynting)
Open to all: As a follow up of last-year's KASC9/TASC2 evening splinter on the future Sloan Digital Sky Survey plan attended by many of you during the Azores conference, we are pleased to hold a 1-hour follow-up meeting in Birmingham. The session will offer you the latest overall AS4 status, the participating institutes and scientists so far, the way to join the consortium with concrete tips for funding applications, and the overall timeline of the project. We are very pleased to announce already that stellar astrophysics constitutes a major part of AS4, including asteroseismology of binary stars and Galactic Archaeology. Everyone interested in AS4 is welcome to attend.
Andrew Tkachenko (member of the AS4 Management team); Conny Aerts (member of the AS4 Scientific Committee)
Contact: Conny Aerts (conny at ster.kuleuven.be)